Of Agents And Assholes
by tielan
Summary: Jane forgets small things – like meals and bedtimes, and occasionally showers and makeup, and once clothes, because she'd just gotten out of the shower when her laptop beeped with the results of the latest data run.


**NOTES**: Small one-shot after a friend asked for Jane and Natasha talking about how Coulson can occasionally be a jerk.

**of agents and assholes**

Jane finds time moves differently on the Bifrost project - and not just because they're talking Einsteinian physics.

Jane forgets small things – like meals and bedtimes, and occasionally showers and makeup, and once clothes, because she'd just gotten out of the shower when her laptop beeped with the results of the latest data run. When she called Erik to report the results, he was good enough to close his eyes and gently suggest she get dressed before they continued the conversation.

So when Agent Romanoff turns up in the middle of the morning, Jane racks her brain to recall the meeting she must have forgotten.

A smile flickers about the bow-shaped mouth as the Black Widow notes Jane's confusion. "No, you haven't forgotten anything, Dr. Foster."

"Oh. Good. Well, what can I do for you? So long as it's not handing all my research over. Again."

"Actually, I'm here to deliver you some." A thumb drive is handed over. "You've been cleared for Dr. Selvig's research."

Jane blinks. "Erik's research? But I thought that was classified."

"The paperwork is on the tablet." Agent Romanoff says, offering one of the ubiquitous SHIELD tablets that seem to contain everything from specifications diagrams to inventory lists, depending on who's carrying it and who it's being offered to. Jane begins to read through the classification agreements - even more stringent than the one she had to sign regarding any technology she acquired through SHIELD.

It nags her a little - SHIELD is nothing if not exclusive and closed.

"Do I want to know why they're suddenly offering me access to the super-secret vaults?"

"It's been deemed likely we'll need your input into the project before long. The Foster Theories may hold the key to Dr. Selvig's research."

That surprises her. "I thought he was exploring energy options." The woman's carefully neutral expression doesn't go unnoticed. "Right. You can't talk about it with me until I've signed the classification agreement."

"Actually, I can't talk about it with you at all, Dr. Foster. I don't know the details of Dr. Selvig's research."

"But you know my work might complement his."

"I have a friend who's got an eye on the situation. I hear things."

"Right." Jane goes through the rest of the agreement and it all seems in order. She signs it and hands it back to Agent Romanoff, then fingers the thumb drive. "So, has SHIELD borrowed anyone else's research lately? Or is it all quiet on the alien science and technology front?"

Agent Romanoff doesn't answer as she tucks the tablet away in her briefcase, but her eyes meet Jane's square and with a glimmer of amusement in blue depths. "I see why they didn't send Agent Coulson in to speak with you."

"I'm sure he's a nice guy with you and the other agents, but the first time I met him, he was a jerk."

"It's not unknown in our agents."

"Is it one of the required skills before signing up with SHIELD?" It slips out before Jane can censor it, but Agent Romanoff simply arches an eyebrow as one corner of her mouth tilts. "Sorry."

"No, you're not. But you've no need to be, either." Agent Romanoff shrugs, bouncing the rich red of her curls. "Coulson has his moments. I'm sure we all do."

"The male agents more than the female ones." Jane shrugs when that delicate eyebrow goes up again. "I've noticed."

"It gets the job done."

"In my line of work, the how is usually important as the solution itself. But I'm a scientist, not a SHIELD agent. The results are important, but the process tells us just as much."

"You wouldn't be content to just have the Bifrost connection, you'd want to know how it worked."

"Exactly." Jane smiles, pleased by the connection - however brief - with the SHIELD agent. "Anyway, I'm sure you have places to be and people to kill."

Agent Romanoff looks amused as she rises from her seat, the tablet packed away, the briefcase adding to the picture of an elegant businesswoman on her way to...somewhere that isn't here. "As a matter of fact, I do. Enjoy Dr. Solvig's research.."

Jane stares at the door after Agent Romanoff has let herself out, wondering if the woman was serious about having people to kill.

Then Erik's research begins to load and she forgets about such mundane things as agents, assassins, and assholes.

**fin**


End file.
